So this is what happened before the B-52 bomber's engine fell off

The possible reason why US Air Force's B-52 bomber's engine fell off while on a routine training mission has now come to light- an engine failure, top Air Force leaders told Defense News.

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The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a massive aircraft which has eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines mounted under its wings. These are seated in pods of two engines encased by "cowling," a protective structure. It has been suggested that the engine had an internal problem and eventually cracked the protective casing before it fell through.

"The engine didn't just fall off. The engine had a failure inside the engine, and it shelled itself," said Gen Robin Rand, head of Air Force Global Strike Command,

Air Force is currently conducting an investigation to get to the bottom of the mishap.

The aircraft was from the 5th Bomb Wing assigned to Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.

Rand also noted that the mishap would not be used as a justification to procure new propulsion systems.

"Re-engining the B-52s makes sense from an operational and an efficiency [standpoint] because there is better technology today then there was when we made the B-52s," he said.

 This would reduce the maintenance time for the personnel and  fuel costs, he added.

The report also noted that US Air Force does not have budgetary plans in 2018 to fund for the re-engining the 78 B-52s. But it remains to be seen if the new administration under Donald Trump will be able to change it.